Missing Rawene woman still a mystery

The disappearance of a Rawene woman after she left a marae with her partner is a mystery to police, but foul play has not been ruled out.

Police are asking for people who also attended a tangi at the marae to get in touch to help solve the puzzle.

Barbara Ann Moka, 32, of Rawene, has not been in touch with family and friends since she was last seen in the Hokianga township on the morning of June 9.

Police held a press conference on the mother of four's disappearance in Kaikohe this morning where they said they are treating the case as a mystery at this stage.

Police said Ms Moka had been at a tangi at the Te Piiti Marae, Omanaia, on June 9 and left early the next morning with her partner.

However, the vehicle they were in crashed several hundred metres from the marae and her partner says the pair of them then went back to the marae. However, there has been no sign of Ms Moka since and police want anybody who was at the marae for the tangi to get in touch so they can try to confirm Ms Moka's movements.

A police Search and Rescue team were today scouring the area around where the vehicle crashed.

Detective Senior Sergeant Rhys Johnston said police were keeping an open mind about what might have happened to Ms Moka, and had not ruled out foul play.

Ms Moka had worked as a receptionist at the Copthorne Hotel and Resort Hokianga in Omapere since November last year, according to her Facebook page.

Director Graham Carman said she had been with the company for about four or five months.

Ms Moka is described as a thinly built Maori woman, 1.5m tall, with black shoulder-length hair.

Anyone with information or who was at the tangi can contact Kaikohe police on (09) 405 2960 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.